


Company Policies

by halliver



Category: Tenet (2020)
Genre: Also a cat is there, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pining Idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:55:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27907084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halliver/pseuds/halliver
Summary: Neil was willing to give his life for Tenet, but giving his cat away was where he drew the line.
Relationships: Neil/The Protagonist (Tenet)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 99





	Company Policies

**Author's Note:**

> Ever since Alicia sent me an ask about Neil's cat I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.  
> So, here it is: a fic about Neil's cat, and some rather fluffy feelings.

”You might die.”

“You must be willing to sacrifice yourself.”

“If you want to live a long, happy life, this might not be the profession for you.”

The stranger appeared in Neil’s life, and from the beginning, made very sure that Neil knew what Tenet required of its agents. Neil accepted the terms gleefully, no sacrifice feeling too extreme to find a purpose in this world.

And a sacrifice had to be made, sooner that he thought. Mere weeks after being recruited, he found himself on the roof of his former apartment, with a gun pointed to his head. The man demanded him to tell everything he knew about Tenet, about the Protagonist, and Neil realized that he was given a simple choice. Either he would talk, or he would die. _Already, fuck, I must be the shittiest agent Tenet has ever seen, dead before even having the change to do anything._

“Fuck off”, he said, and unceremoniously jumped off the building. 

Neil never expected to wake up. But there he was, hazy but awake, in a brightly lit room. He blinked, tried to adjust to the sudden brightness, and attempted to make sense of the world around him with his morphine-filled brain. There was beeping, _how irritating,_ and someone sitting next to his bed.

“Welcome to the afterlife”, the fuzzy figure said to him, with a gentle voice. He took Neil’s hand in his own. “We were quite worried about you.”

Neil blinked, and finally, his eyes decided to co-operate with him, and focused on the Protagonist.

“Mhhm. I… Am alive?”, Neil asked, and regretted his choice of words immediately. _He does look like an angel, but there is no way waking up in heaven is this painful._

“Yes, yes you are.” The Protagonist stroke the back of his hand gently. “And you passed the test. You are now officially a Tenet agent.”

“It was a test?”

“Yes. I am sorry. But we need to know if our agents are trustworthy, given the delicate nature of information we deal with.”

Neil tried to process his words, but the pain and the medication made him feel slower than an average snail. “Oh. I… I think I get it. But… What… How many agents you lose by testing them? I mean, I… I could have died. Probably should have died. Almost died, I think.”

The Protagonist nodded, and for a moment, Neil could have sworn he saw a tear in the corner of his eye. “Yes, well… Neil, we gave you that cyanide pill for a reason. Jumping off a building, really? Usually, our agents aren’t that dramatic.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry.”

“It’s all right. You passed. You proved both your braveness and loyalty.”

“And stupidity?”

The Protagonist huffed. “Don’t worry about it. Try to sleep. A doctor will come check on you later.”

Neil Michael Reynolds had died, and a nameless agent had emerged. For Tenet, he gave up his old life, old hopes and dreams, and he was at peace with that. It was for “greater good”, after all, and Neil felt his life had lacked both greatness and goodness. He had no regrets, and when his new boss sat by his bed, talked to him about inversion for hours and hours, Neil felt unexplainably happy. _It’s just the exciting new world, and the noble heroism of it all. It’s not him, I would never develop feelings towards someone who hasn’t even told me his name,_ Neil thought in a pathetic attempt at denial.

But as Neil’s wounds healed, the Protagonist’s visits became a rare occurrence. Neil was given his training, and then, his own assignments and missions. He wondered, if the Protagonist had simply grown bored of his company. _I mean, he is the Protagonist – a minor character should not expect his attention._ To compensate his loss, Neil made friends wherever he could find them, chatting friendly with every agent he encountered. Still, he could not shake the disappointment that even in this new and exciting life, he was lonely.

After an especially exhausting mission, Neil returned to his home. He hesitated to call the small, impersonal combination of bedroom and office his home, but the room in a European Tenet base was all he had. He slumped onto his bed and let out a string of curses. His team had technically succeeded in their mission, but people had died, lives were ruined, and Neil had a horrific headache. _Doesn’t really feel like being the good guy, now._ Neil pulled a pillow to his chest. Not for the first time, he missed his old home, but mostly, he missed his cat. _Hugging a pillow isn’t the same. It doesn’t purr, it isn’t fluffy, it doesn’t try to quilt trip you into giving it extra snacks. It’s not alive. It’s not Rosa._ Neil felt guilty for mourning his cat when human lives had been lost, but he had no energy in him to police his own thoughts. He squeezed his pillow and fell asleep with tears in his eyes.

The next day, Neil replaced his sadness with angry determination. He had agreed to five up contact with everyone he had known, but cats do not expose you to terrorists. If Rosa was out there, Neil would find her. He put Tenet’s databases to good use and did his best to find out what had happened to his belongings after his “tragic death”. After finding the name of the animal shelter Rosa had been taken to, Neil booked a ticket to London without a second thought. He knew he would get in trouble, if caught, but Neil had his priorities.

Neil waited until night fell and the shelter was at its emptiest. He cut the wires of the burglar alarm and sneaked into the building, quickly locating the room most cats were kept. _Lucky me I didn’t have a dog, otherwise, the whole neighbourhood would be awake by now,_ he thought while sneaking through the cages filled with uninterested felines. He felt a little stupid, putting all his newly earned skills in use to steal a cat. _Even I have to admit this is ridiculous._ Still, he peeked into every cage, disappointed to find them either empty or inhabited by the wrong cat.

He had almost decided to give up, when he heard a familiar little _meow._ His heart missed a beat, and he stormed through the rows of cages to find the source of the voice. In the furthest corner of the room, lying on a rugged pillow, was a fluffy, grey cat - his fluffy grey cat. 

“Rosa”, he whispered, and couldn’t help a tear of relief falling to his cheek. He opened the cage and grabbed the cat. He was well aware that his first priority should be getting away as quickly as possible, but he couldn’t resist the temptation of first burying his face to the fur of Rosa. “I’ve missed you so much, my little Rosa, I’ve missed you so much.” Rosa purred contently. “Now, I need you to be a good little kitty, and be very still, and very quiet, okay?” Neil whispered with a wide smile on his face. Rosa, as lazy as she had always been, obeyed and made herself comfortable in Neil’s lap. Neil left the cage open and ran away.

Neil made his way back to Tenet’s base, clutching tightly to his bag.

“Hey, Neil. Where have you been?”

Neil flinched, pulled his bag even closer, and turned towards Ives with a nervous smile on his face. “Hi. Umm, classified, I’m afraid.”

“Right.” Ives glanced at Neil with a look of disbelief. “What do you have there?”

“Classified, as well.”

“Right, right. Well, if it’s classified liquid, spare some for me. I’ve listened to the boss lecturing me about mission safety this whole morning.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. Anyway, I have to go. Debriefings, and such.” Neil smiled nervously and made a mental note to try and improve his excuses.

“Neil?”

“Yes?”

“Why is your bag meowing?”

Neil grinned. “Ives, if you let this slide, I owe you. Anything. Okay?”

“All right. I have a few ideas in mind.”

Ives’ favour turned out to include helping him smuggling copious amounts of booze into the base, helping him get rid of the evidence, and next day, trying to hide their massive hangover. Not what Neil would have classified as a favour, more like a “dumb as fuck idea”, but still, they had good time and Ives kept his mouth shut. _And it was worth it,_ Neil thought through his headache, as Rosa purred in his lap.

With Rosa back in his life, Neil felt like there was structure in his days once again. Wake up, feed cat, go to work, come home, feed cat, play with cat, go to sleep, repeat. It wasn’t exactly like his life before Tenet, but close enough to give him comfort. And, as it turned out, in addition to keeping his secret, Ives also made an excellent catsitter when needed.

The advantage of working for a secret organization was that everyone had secrets, and most people were willing to look the other way, if given the same courtesy. Of course, that did not stop the Protagonist from stepping into his room, unannounced, and spotting the grey feline scratching herself at Neil’s feet.

“Is that a cat?”

Panicked, Neil grabbed Rosa into his arms. “I didn’t know pets were forbidden.” _Lock the door, idiot, you should always lock the door._

“They aren’t specifically forbidden, but not really allowed, either. Doesn’t matter. More importantly, is that _your_ cat? The same cat you had before you joined us?” The Protagonist stared at Neil with a steely gaze. “Did you, against very specific orders, go back to your previous life?”

Neil bit his lip. “Mm. Yes? But I was very careful. I made it look like she escaped the shelter, that someone had left her cage open. They won’t look into it, they’re overworked as it is.”

The Protagonist folded his arms, his disapproval clear as day. “Still, Neil. Against very clear orders. It’s not acceptable.”

Neil stared at his boss, his panic rising. “Either the cat stays, or I’ll leave.”

The Protagonist was taken aback by Neil’s hostility. “You are giving me an ultimatum. Over a cat.”

“Over _my_ cat. Yes. I have given you everything you’ve asked, including my life. This is where I draw the line.”

The Protagonist flinched, face shocked, as if Neil had just punched him. 

Neil bit his lip. _Oops. What did I say? Did I go too far?_

“I’m sorry, boss, I didn’t mean to be rude. I just... Really love my cat, okay?”

The Protagonist shook his head and sighed. “Just make sure it doesn’t cause any trouble.”

Neil nodded and squeezed Rosa even tighter to his chest. “Understood.”

The Protagonist stormed out of the room, leaving Neil alone with his cat and confused thoughts. _What the hell just happened?_

A few days later, Neil returned from a training session to find his door open. A feeling of dread settled into his stomach. He sneaked through the door, only to find the Protagonist sitting on the floor, playing with Rosa.

“Oh. Sorry. I came looking for you, and you weren’t here, and I just…” The Protagonist looked a little embarrassed.

“It’s fine”, Neil smiled with relief. _He doesn’t hate me after the last time. Or maybe Rosa is doing all the work for me._ “Seems that Rosa likes you. She isn’t usually great with strangers.”

“Rosa?”

“Yes. Lady Rosalind Ada Marie.” 

“Rosalind Ada Marie, as in…?”

“Rosalind Franklin, Ada Lovelace, Marie Curie.”

“Wow.” The Protagonist lifted his eyebrows, clearly holding back laughter.

“You’re mocking me.” 

“A little bit, yes.”

“And you are mocking my cat.” Neil made a sour face and scooped Rosa from the floor. “Unacceptable.”

“Never mock Neil’s cat. I’ll keep that in mind”, the Protagonist laughed and stood up.

Neil smirked. “Good. Did you have something else in mind? Or did you just come here to judge my cat-naming conventions?”

“Yes, actually. I came to talk. About Rosa, about what you did to get her. With a little less hostility this time, if at all possible. I need you to promise me to be more careful from now on. It’s been such a short time since your, you know, accident. We go to great lengths to hide the identities of our agents, but we cannot do that if you willingly sabotage that work.”

Neil sat down on his bed and petted Rosa’s grey fur. “I get it. I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not.” The Protagonist sat next to Neil, and let Rosa sniff his finger.

“No, I’m not”, Neil admitted with a small smirk. “I really needed her. I know it probably doesn’t make sense, but I really did need her.”

“You were lonely.”

Without answering, Neil buried his face in Rosa’s fur.

“This can be a lonely profession, Neil.”

“I get it. I thought I was better prepared. I thought… I was lonely before, you know.”

“So, you thought that becoming a just a little bit lonelier couldn’t hurt?”

“I guess. I know it’s dumb, I know it’s just a cat…”

The Protagonist shook his head. “No, it’s not dumb. If it hurts you, it’s not dumb. I understand.”

Neil smiled shyly. “You do?”

“Yes. Once, not too long ago, I thought no amount of isolation could bring me more pain than I was already in. I was wrong.”

Neil scratched Rosa’s ear and glanced at the Protagonist. “Are you okay?”

“I came here to talk about your cat and your inability to follow direct orders, not to discuss my feelings.” The Protagonist straightened his tie.

“I know. I just… If you’ve… You know, my parents died when I was fifteen. I know a thing or two about grief. And you seem… You’re always so… I mean, if you want to talk about it, I’m here for you.”

The Protagonist stared Neil with a straight face, but with deep sorrow in his eyes. “I appreciate the gesture, but I don’t. I shouldn’t have even mentioned it.”

Neil shrugged. “All right, then. You know where to find me, if you change your mind.” He nudged Rosa towards the Protagonist. “Or Lady Rosa, if talking isn’t your thing. Cuddling her can be quite therapeutic, too.” _Or you could cuddle me, you know,_ Neil added in his mind.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Should I feel like,” The Protagonist’s eyes wandered to Neil’s lips, “cuddling.”

Neil blinked in surprise, his brain working overtime to find a proper answer. _Is he flirting with me? I think he is flirting with me. He is not flirting with me he is my boss what am I thinking? Or is he?_ “Cool”, Neil said poetically. “Now that we are clear on the pet issue, I would like to know about other company policies. I mean, for example, how are workplace relationships viewed?” _Oh, yeah, Neil. You really are a smooth motherfucker, aren’t you?_

The Protagonist smirked. “A bit like pets, actually. Not really allowed, but not actually forbidden, either.”

As carefully as he could with a cat in his lap, Neil leaned towards his boss, and despite his better judgment, pressed his lips against the Protagonist’s. He kissed him slowly, carefully, afraid of rejection that never came. Instead, the Protagonist leaned closer and gently caressed Neil’s hair.

Hesitantly, Neil leaned back and whispered: “Good to know. For future reference.”

The Protagonist chuckled, and pulled Neil back into a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :) 
> 
> I just had to write something fluffy about Protagoneil. No proper plot here, just pining, and a cat.  
> Also, thank you Alicia for the inspiration <3 (At some point, I might have to write the au catfic too. What can I say, I like protagoneil and I like cats?)
> 
> As always, sorry about questionable grammar.
> 
> You can find me in tumblr @kristalliankka, if you feel like yelling about Tenet. It is my favourite pastime.


End file.
